Brothers John, left, and Billy McQueary plan to renovate the Vandivort Center into a boutique hotel. They hope to encourage visitors to eat and shop downtown and to provide a 'true local experience.'

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Billy and John McQueary have a history with the downtown Vandivort Center, but the brothers aren't letting nostalgia stand in the way of their plans to renovate the century-old Walnut Street building into a boutique hotel.

"My sister actually took dance here years ago, so we spent a lot of time in this building, running up and down the stairs," Billy McQueary said.

Built in 1906, the four-story structure next to the Landers Theatre originally served as a Masonic Lodge but was renovated into offices in the 1980s. ...